Lock-indicator.



H. G. VOIGHT.

LOCK INDIGATOR;

APPLIGATIUN FILED Nov. ze, 1910.

patented Mar.14,'1911.

y 'V/ IIIIIII 'f IIIIL @alla UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G, .VGIG'I-IT, ,OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ,ASSIGNOR TO ,RUSSELL &

CONNECTICUT.

MANUEACTUETNG COMPANY, or NEW tB RTTEIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION yor LOCK-INDICATOR.

. Specification ofletters vPatent.

,Application lad November Patented Mar. 14, 19.11.

26,- i910., y seriaiNo. 594,247.

` To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY Q'VOICHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, Hartford county, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lock-Indicators,of which the following is a full, clear, aiidexact description.

My invention relates to improvements .in lock indicators, the same having for its object the provision of a means wherebyany one-on the outside of a door can readily ascertain `whether the door is locked or unlocked by feeling of the exposed part, or button end, ofthe indicating member, which latter is located on t-he outer side of the door.

lock case; 3 represents a bolt capable of bel ing advancedand retracted.l In this particular instance it may be assumed that the bolt is of a type adapted to be operated in both directions manually. by-a key or thumbturn.

- 4 represents the indicator, .in this instance in the formof a button, said indicator be `ing located on the` outer side of the door. The position of the button `will indicatethe relative position of the bolt 3, that is, whether said bolt is advanced or retracted. As shown in Fig. 1, the button 4 stands in its out position and the door is shown as unlocked, the bolt 3 being retracted. If the bolt 3 is advanced to the position shown vin Fig. 4 and the door is locked7 the indicator button 4 will be seen to be retracted, indicating by its position that the dooriis locked.

By these means any one located on the outside of a door may quickly and easily detect, by feeling, whether the door is locked or unlocked, thereby avoiding the necessity of inserting a key 1n the door, or turning the knob and rattling the door in the usual way.

5 represents a mounting, such as an escutcheon plate, in which the button 4 may move in and out, said button being mounted in a suitable passage, or guideway, in said support. On the back of the support is pivotally mounted a lever 6, preferably of the bell-crank type, the same being pivoted at Tandpreferably influenced .in one direc tion by a spring 8 which may be mounted on the pivot 7. In. this instance, the tendency of the spring 8 is to swing the lever 6 in suoli a direction as to vpush the button 4 outwardly, 4one end of said lever being suitably conneotedwith said button. The free end .ofthe.bellcrank lever 6 projects into the lock case 2 and into the path of movement of a shoulder 3a. moved by, or carried upon, the .tail ofthe. bolt 3. This shoulder is so posi- `tioned that when thebolt is retracted, it perinitsthe lever G to move under the iniiuence ofthespring .8 to advance the indicator button 4.. .When, however, the bolt is advanced l.into the lockingposition, this shoulder 3a v engages the .lever 6 and swings it so as to retract the indicatorbutton, as shown in Fig. 4. From the ,foregoing it isapparent that the indicator, may be readily applied to any lock, it being merely necessary to provide a clearance opening, or slot, in the side, of the l,.lookcaseQ to admit. the end of the bell-crank lever andto permit said end to move suiiciently for the intended` purpose.

c Fromv t-he foregoing it will be seen that ,theindicator is moved wholly by the bolt, irrespective; of, and independently,` of any means employed vfor moving the bolt, such as the well known key or thumb-turn. While I `have shown the free. end of the lever 6 as projecting into the slot soas to engage the tail of the bolt, it isobviousthat la mere reversal of this arrangement,namely, Causing part of the, bolt to project out- Wardlyithrough the slot to engage `the lever, vwouldbe within. the scope ofthis inven tion.

As will be observed, the bolt 3 partakes of the usual range of movement, and since this movement is substantially longer than that required to operate the indicator, in ordinary cases said shoulder on the bolt may, on one movement of the bolt, recede from that end of the lever which is engaged, thereby providing, in effect, quite a range of lost movement.

I have not attempted herein to show the knobs, latch-bolt, tumbler mechanism, etc., suchas is usually provided in door locks, since it is obvious that any well known construction, as to such common details, may, or may not, be employed as desired.

Ii'oadly speaking, it is apparent that it 5 is not material to this invention that the indicator should be out to indicate that the door is unlocked, and in to indicate that the door is locked, since this mere position could be readily reversed by reversing the parts, or by any other obvious modification. So, also, it is not strictly essential that the indicator be moved in one direction by a spring, since, from an examination and understanding of the broad 'features or' the construction disclosed, obvious changes would readily occur to a mechanic skilled in the art.

It will be understood that this indicator is of special value when employed with the well known type of lock termed a hotel corridor door lock7 in which such locks are provided with two dead bolts, one of which is operated for locking the door by means operable at the inside of the door, the other bolt being operated for the purpose of locking the door by means accessible from the outside. Such locks provided with two bolts are well known, an example of which is shown l in my former patent numbered 867,175. As in my former patent, the indicator would,of course, be operated only by the bolt which is manipulated from the inside of the door, since the purpose of such an indicator is merely to advise any one on the outside that th-e door has been locked from the inside.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a lock, a bolt, an indicating device movable depthwise relatively to a door upon which the lock is applied, a mounting for said indicating device arranged to be secured upon one surface of such a door and independent of the lock, an operating lever connected with said device and carried by the same mounting, and means of connection between said bolt and said lever whereby a shifting of the bolt will cause a shitting of the indicator.

2. In an indicator for loclis, an indicating device movable to and fro, in combination with a lock including a case having a clearance opening or slot, operative means of connccton bei Ween said indicating device and one of the movable lock parts located within the case, said operative means of connection including one part standing in said opening and movable to and fro across the same.

3. In combination, a lock, a bolt, an indicating device movable depthwise relatively to a door upon which the lock is applied, a mounting for said indicating device arranged to be secured upon one surface of such a door and independent of the lock, an operating lever connected with said device and carried by the same mounting, means of connection between said bolt and said lever whereby a shifting of the bolt will cause a shifting of the indicator, and a spring for moving said lever in one di rection.

4. In an indicator for locks, a lock indicating device, a mounting therefor adapted to be secured to one face of a door, said mounting having a guide passage, said indicating device being located therein for movement to and fro, an operating lever for said indicating device, said lever being mounted upon the mounting for the indin cating device, in combination with a lock including a bolt, means of connection be tween said bolt and said lever whereby the movement of the former will produce a movement of the latter, and thereby a movement of said indicating device in one direction, and a spring for moving said lever and thereby said indicating device in an opposite direction.

5. In an indicator for locks, a movable indicating device, a mounting therefor.ar ranged to be secured to the outer side of a door, a lock independently mounted and including a bolt reciprocal to and fro, and operative means of connection between said indicating device and said bolt, said indicating device being operated by a partial movementof the bolt.

HENRY Gr. VOIGI-IT.-

Witnesses:

M. S. WIARD, H. J. BRowNE.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

